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One day after throwing the first no-hitter in Washington Nationals history, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was named the National League Player of the Week. Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon on MLB Network.

Zimmermann allowed one walk and struck out 10 Miami Marlins in a masterful performance to close the regular season with the first no-hitter thrown by a D.C. pitcher since Bobby Burke on Aug. 8, 1931.

In earning his second NL Player of the Week honors, Zimmermann allowed only five balls to leave the infield all afternoon and threw only 25 total balls to Marlins batters. He faced 28 batters, threw 23 first-pitch strikes and needed only 104 pitches to complete the historic achievement.

In the eighth complete game and fourth shutout of his career, Zimmermann almost certainly turned in the best pitching performance in Nationals history.

According to the Bill James Game Score, one metric for measuring dominant pitching performances, Zimmermann’s outing ranked as the best in Nationals (2005-present) history with a score of 96 – besting the 95 score earned in his shutout over the San Diego Padres earlier this season.

This is the fourth NL Player of the Week honor earned by a Nationals player this season – including Zimmermann for the first week of June. First baseman Adam LaRoche and OF Jayson Werth also took home the award this season.

For 20 teams throughout the major leagues, the day after the conclusion of the regular season is often a time for reflection, a chance to digest a year of ups and downs, of wins and losses, of hopes dashed and chances blown. For 10 others, it is an opportunity to look forward to the postseason, to dream of a magical championship run yet to be scripted.

The Washington Nationals are one of those fortunate 10 — but the looking forward part can wait, at least for one day.

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014, a picturesque afternoon in the nation’s capital, brought a sense of history to a town built upon extraordinary achievements. Jordan Zimmermann, the stoic leader of a dominant pitching staff, entered Game No. 162 of the regular season looking to log a few innings of work as a tune-up for the playoffs.

Instead, he threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history.

Zimmermann, 28 years old with the number 27 on his back, turned in a performance worthy of the history books. The right-hander struck out 10 Miami Marlins, walked just one and needed just 104 pitches to complete his effort. He became the third D.C.-based hurler to record a no-hitter, following in the footsteps of Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (July 1, 1920) and the less-heralded Bobby Burke (Aug. 8, 1931).

He also needed help from his defense.

Rookie outfielder Steven Souza Jr., inserted by manager Matt Williams into left field in the top of the ninth inning with the Nationals still clinging to a 1-0 lead, made one of the finest game-ending catches in Nationals history. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound thoroughbred reacted quickly as Marlins leadoff hitter Christian Yelich drove a 2-1 fastball deep toward the gap in left-center, turning and galloping back and to his left as the ball hurtled through the air. Gaining ground on the deep liner, Souza Jr. left his feet, glove on his left hand outstretched, his open right hand ready to protect the ball, his body nearly horizontal to the ground.

The crowd of 35,085, standing and roaring throughout the final inning, briefly fell silent. Zimmermann, whose head dropped upon contact, turned to watch the final few feet of the flight of the ball — and the final few feet of Souza Jr.’s leap.

Then, bedlam.

Zimmermann raised both arms high, Souza Jr. raised his glove in the air, ball secure in its webbing, as teammates rushed toward the center of the diamond. For a surreal 30 seconds, Nationals Park became a deafeningly loud sea of high-fives, with families sharing memories and strangers hugging red-clad strangers, beneath the canopy of a perfect, blue, late-September sky.

It was an immaculate ending. It could be a beautiful beginning. October awaits.

On the heels of his finest Major League season, Washington Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is heading back to the All-Star game.

The Nationals’ 19-game winner from a year ago, who is 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 18 2014 starts, was named to the National League All-Star team for the second consecutive season on Sunday evening. He was the Nationals’ lone selection.

“It means a lot,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a huge honor. I’m excited. I wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t for those guys playing defense behind me every day, and the catchers calling the pitches. I throw the ball. I try to throw strikes and let the guys put it in play. As much as it’s me going, it’s actually all these guys, too.”​

“I’m here to throw 200 innings, that’s my biggest goal,” the usually-understated Zimmermann added. “To go deep into ballgames and give these guys a chance to win the game. You do that stuff, I guess you become an All-Star. That’s what’s happened the last couple years.”

For Zimmermann, the trip back to the game’s biggest showcase will mark another reminder that he has cemented himself amongst the best in the game.

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The selection comes at a time in which Zimmermann may be pitching as well as he has all season. In seven starts before being named to the team, Zimmermann — who opened the month of June with 19 consecutive scoreless innings — posted 1.26 ERA.

Seven years after the Nationals’ plucked him out of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and five years removed from the Tommy John surgery that rebuilt his elbow, the right-hander was a chosen by NL Manager Mike Matheny to be a part of the 2014 squad.

And this time, he’ll be put on that stage a mere three hours from his hometown of Auburndale, Wisc. This year, too, the hope is that the Nationals’ winningest pitcher will get a chance to participate. A lingering neck issue held him out of last year’s game at Citi Field, though he went and enjoyed the All-Star festivities in New York.

“You want to pitch in it,” Zimmermann said. “Last year, being the first time, I wanted to, but this year it’s going to be good. It’s about three hours from home. I’m sure I’ll have a decent amount of people coming over. I think it’s going to be fun.”

For Rendon, the Nationals’ infielder is following up his strong rookie campaign with a breakout season. Shifting seamlessly between second (17 starts) and third base (65 starts), depending on need, Rendon is hitting .282 (94-for-333) with 21 doubles, five triples, a career-high 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 83 games.

Rendon, 24, has excelled offensively — he ranks among the NL’s top 10 in runs (60), triples (5), RBI (50) and extra-base hits.

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“It’d be pretty cool,” Rendon said of the possibility of being an All-Star. “I’m not trying to get my hopes up. I don’t let my highs get too high, my lows get too low. (There are) definitely a lot of guys who deserve it.”

Game #71: Washington Nationals (37-33) vs. Atlanta Braves (36-35) | 7:05 p.m. | Nationals ParkPitching Match-Ups: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (5-3, 2.98 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Floyd (1-2, 3.98 ERA)Dating to Sept., 2013, the Washington Nationals are 8-2 in home games started by right-hander Jordan Zimmermann against National League East foes, and Zimmermann has had a terrific start to June, tossing 25 innings thus far and allowing just one run. Radio: 106.7 FM / 1500 AM, also on nationals.com (for subscribers to MLB.tv)TV: The game will be televised on MASN and MLBNetworkLive Stats: nationals.com

Of note:

The Nationals have won seven of their last eight games at Nationals Park, dating to a 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on May 30. During this eight-game run, the Nationals have outscored opponents 50-22, thanks, in part, to a 10-3 advantage in home runs. This is the Nationals’ ﬁnest stretch of success in D.C. since going 8-1 at home from Aug. 9-29 in 2013.

After opening the month of June with 17 consecutive scoreless innings, Washington Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.

Zimmermann, 28, pitched back-to-back gems over the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres en route to earning his first NL Player of the Week honors. On the week, Zimmermann was 2-0, allowed just seven hits, walked one and struck out 16. He held opposing batters to a .121 batting average and 71 percent of the 216 pitches he threw were strikes. Both of his starts turned into shutouts for the team.

Tuesday, against the Phillies, Zimmermann spun eight scoreless innings on just 102 pitches, and scattered five hits. He walked one, struck out four and earned his fourth win of the season.

Zimmermann’s encore, however, was one of the best-pitched games in Nationals (2005-present) history.

Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, Zimmermann carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with a two-hit shutout in the Nationals’ 6-0 victory.

In the sixth complete game and third shutout of his career, Zimmermann became only the second starter in Nationals history to strike out at least 12 batters and walk none in a complete game (also John Patterson, Aug. 4, 2005). He needed just 114 pitches to go the distance, and 83 of those pitches went for strikes. Zimmermann joined Patterson and Stephen Strasburg as the only pitchers in Nationals history to strike out at least 12 batters in a game.

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According to the Bill James Game Score, one metric for measuring dominant pitching performances, Zimmermann’s outing ranked as the best in Nationals (2005-present) history with a score of 95.

All of this comes on the heels of a month of May that was very unlike Zimmermann, in which he posted a 5.06 ERA.

“The whole month of May, I was that guy,” Zimmermann said after the victory over the Padres. “Everyone was having good starts, and I was pitching terrible. I just wanted to pitch like everyone else. We’ve got a good thing going right now.”

Zimmermann, who was named the NL Pitcher of the Month in July 2012, is the seventh Nationals player to win an NL POTW award, and earns the ninth such honor for the organization.

The Nationals’ catchers, with a little help from Steve McCatty’s pitching staﬀ, currently rank second in all of the Major Leagues in catching would-be base stealers. The Nationals’ backstops have gunned down 12 of 31 (38.7%) potential base stealers this year (pitcher caught stealings excluded). In all of the Major Leagues, only the St. Louis Cardinals (52%, 13 of 25) have posted a higher percentage this season than Washington.

Last year, the Nationals ranked 29th out of the 30 clubs, throwing out just 14 percent (15 of 110) of potential base stealers.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s match-up:

NATIONALS (25-26)

#

PLAYERS

POS

2

Denard Span (L)

CF

6

Anthony Rendon

3B

28

Jayson Werth

RF

25

Adam LaRoche (L)

1B

40

Wilson Ramos

C

20

Ian Desmond

SS

19

Kevin Frandsen

2B

15

Nate McLouth (L)

LF

27

Jordan Zimmermann

RHP

MARLINS (27-25)

#

PLAYERS

POS

21

Christian Yelich (L)

LF

32

Derek Dietrich (L)

2B

27

Giancarlo Stanton

RF

9

Casey McGehee

3B

46

Garrett Jones (L)

1B

39

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S)

C

13

Marcell Ozuna

CF

3

Adeiny Hechavarria

SS

37

Henderson Alvarez

RHP

Here are tonight’s game notes, courtesy of the Washington Nationals PR department. Enjoy!

Game #38: Washington Nationals (19-18) at Arizona Diamondbacks (15-25) | 6:40 p.m. PT; 9:40 p.m. ET | Chase FieldPitching Match-Ups: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-1, 2.92 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Collmenter (1-2, 3.44 ERA)Washington Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA in four career starts (all quality starts) against the Diamondbacks. In his two losses to Arizona, Zimmermann did not receive any runs of offensive support while pitching in the game. Zimmermann (2nd round) and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter (15th round) are both products of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.Radio: 106.7 FM / 1500 AM, also on nationals.com (for subscribers to MLB.tv)TV: The game will be televised on MASN2Live Stats: nationals.com

Of note:

Washington Nationals Manager Matt Williams is returning to Chase Field for the first time as a visitor after spending the final six seasons of his career with the Diamondbacks and serving the organization from there as an executive, minority owner, broadcaster and, finally, a coach on Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson‘s staff for the last four seasons.

“It’s odd,” Williams said of making his return to Arizona and coming over to the visitors’ side. “But that’s part of it. I signed up for this.”

The Diamondbacks still use Williams’ likeness during their home games, as he is one of their “Racing Legends” (akin to the Presidents Race at Nationals Park) that runs each game.

Here are tonight’s game notes, courtesy of the Washington Nationals PR department. Enjoy!

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The disclaimer that comes with Spring Training, and all of the stats that accompany it, is, of course, that they don’t count for anything. On Monday, whatever numbers have been accrued over the past five weeks in Florida are wiped away and the real fun begins.

What more veteran players like Jordan Zimmermann look for out of Spring Training is to sharpen his skills, build up his arm strength, and come through it all healthy.

Zimmermann did that. He also threw 18 innings, allowed one run, struck out 15, allowed 11 hits and walked only one. His Spring Training ERA came complete at 0.50.

Five more scoreless innings against the New York Mets to cap his spring — along with a bases-loaded infield hit to score the Nationals’ first run in a 4-0 victory — was more than enough for him to earn Player of the Day honors as the Nationals bid adieu to the Grapefruit League.

“I felt like I did what I needed to do to get ready for the season,” the 2013 All-Star said. “The ball’s coming out well, I have a good feel for all my pitches and I’m healthy. (Spring Training stats) don’t matter, but for me I want to do (well) every time I go out. Spring doesn’t matter too much but you don’t want to get hit around every time, either… I feel good. I’m ready to go.”

Quote of the Day: Matt Williams on Doug Fister

Fister was pulled from his scheduled Minor League start after one inning when he continued to feel tightness in his right lat muscle. The right-hander will be reevaluated in D.C.

“(It didn’t happen) on any particular pitch, had nothing to do with the elbow,” Williams said. “But we took him out after his first inning as a precaution and he’ll see the doc tomorrow in Washington. We’ll see what the doc says. We’ll see where we’re at. He was due to throw 60 (pitches) today and he came out after that first inning, so it certainly is a setback (as far as the regular season goes).”

The Nationals will travel to Washington, D.C. on Thursday evening in advance of Saturday’s exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers at Nationals Park… The team will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Youth Baseball Academy before Saturday’s game… Nationals Manager Matt Williams said he is leaning toward starting Anthony Rendon at second base on Opening Day.

The Washington Nationals‘ Grapefruit League slate was whittled to six remaining games on Friday afternoon when they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0. Gio Gonzalez tossed 4.2 innings before a high pitch count cut his day a bit short, but the Nationals’ relievers did well against the Cardinals’ lineup after his departure.

Player of the Day: Right-hander Blake Treinen

Right-hander Blake Treinen is impressing in Major League camp.

Blake Treinen has been garnering a bit more attention of late, as the Nationals’ make cuts to their roster in Major League camp and the young, flamethrowing right-hander remains. Treinen, acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the trade that sent Michael Morse to the Seattle Mariners in January, 2013, has allowed just one run in his last 8.2 innings and scouts have continued to rave about his electric arsenal of pitches.

In a conversation with reporters on Friday afternoon, after he got two outs against the Cardinals, Treinen called the fact that he remains in Major League camp a “pleasant surprise.”

“My intentions and expectations coming into spring training were just to leave an impression,” Treinen told reporters. “And the fact I’m still around is an absolute blessing. I can’t thank them more for giving me the opportunity they’ve given me so far. I’m just trying to make the most of it, go day-by-day. Whatever their decision is at the end of spring training, it’s their decision. But I feel like I’ve done my absolute best to leave an impression with the big club.”

Quote of the Day: Manager Matt Williams on the ongoing competition for the starting second base job between Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa

“I’m not ready to make that decision yet. We’ve got a week left. They’ll continue to play and get at-bats. I like what I’ve seen. They’ve competed well. Anthony has played really well. His swing is right on. Danny’s swing is right on right now. They’re both quality defenders in the infield. They both play multiple positions. So, there’s options there.”

Video highlights:

Caleb Ramsey makes a phenomenal play to throw out Kolten Wong at third base from deep in right field foul territory:
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Notables:

The Nationals will play their penultimate home game on Saturday afternoon when the Miami Marlins visit Space Coast Stadium. Doug Fister will start for the Nationals… Jordan Zimmermann will pitch in a Minor League game on Saturday as well.

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